Too High, Too Big, Wrong Zone-But Project Will Move to Public Hearing

Prince George, B.C. – An application to change the Official Community Plan and rezoning for a piece of property off O’Grady will move forward to a public hearing.

The project which would be located on vacant property that was, at one time, expected to be the home of Wholesale Sports.

Now developers would like to use the property for the construction of two 6 storey wood frame apartment buildings.

Administration argues the proposed buildings would be too high for the neighbourhood, and the whole proposal is not consistent with the neighbourhood.

But, Councillors say they wanted to hear more information from the developer and from residents of the neighbourhood. So it has moved towards the next stage in the process which is third reading at which time there is a public hearing.

In order for the extra information, such as a traffic impact study, to be ready for presentation at a public hearing, it would be mid August before that public hearing could take place.

Comments

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 8:22 PM by monkeyseemonkeydo with a score of 0

That’s perfect , people with good paying jobs right in that area can live right there , students with a nice place to live . I am all for it build it ,,, Once again a big reason why this city is squashed into suppression with no hope , Sad.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 8:31 PM by Eagleone with a score of 0

How can anyone oppose this? To me it’s the perfect location for that kind of development without any interface with the current residential areas the high rise shouldn’t be an issue. The area has many jobs nearby without adequate housing for those jobs, so adding more housing virtually next door to the Westgate Mall seems like it would be prudent planning and a smart development.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 8:31 PM by monkeyseemonkeydo with a score of 0

What are the names of the Administration people and how many ?

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 8:51 PM by billyinpg with a score of 0

This will be a nightmare in the making. We have thousands of cars using the double left from HWY 16 onto Domano who have not a clue of what lane they need to be in for where they want to go. Often times Domano gets backed up to maybe CT when the light for O’Grady goes red. There is a traffic issue here with no solution that I can see.

Now onto previous comments. Even more interesting if they posted up whether they live in CH or not.

People with good paying jobs can live close to work. Students with a nice place to live.

People with good paying jobs? What jobs are those? It’s 99% retail around here.

Students? I am pretty sure they won’t allow a bunch of students into a 2 or 3 bedroom condo. That’s assuming these are even rentals.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 9:10 PM by monkeyseemonkeydo with a score of 0

One down ,,,billyinpg is a administrator,A perfect place for such a project… dumb drivers is a poor excuse for being against such a project … maybe a move to vanderhoof is in order.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 7:08 AM by seamutt with a score of 0

With your comment monkey do you have any idea of the traffic and poor road design in that area, I think not.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 9:28 PM by seamutt with a score of 0

Administration wanting to stop apartments to be built but will allow a truck cardlock to be built on Westgate in the middle of a residential area. Some administration.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 9:35 PM by Cheetos with a score of 0

Monkeyseemonkeydo must be the developer; and no I’m not an administrator with the City of Prince George, but I’m with administration on this one. Two six story apartment buildings on that acreage would be like two ugly ducks sitting in a kids pool; completely out of place. They would stick out like a sore thumb, that whole area is traffic congested already, put two large apartments and you are looking for grid lock. A good suggestion would be big movie theater with some shops and restaurants, but thumbs down on the apartments.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 10:36 AM by Retired 02 with a score of 0

You people have no idea what traffic congestion is.
Cheers

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 9:47 PM by billyinpg with a score of 0

Hahahha monkeyseemonkeydo so quick to bash me but you can’t be bothered to post up where you live.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 9:48 PM by peegee with a score of 0

If the city can get their act together and figure out the traffic issues, I think it’s a great idea. But looking at how we have to get west leaving the Walmart area, I have my doubts.
I know several retired couples in the CH area that are ready to downsize to one level living but there isn’t a lot in this town for nicer apartments this close to amenities like CH has. They’d be all over this. Walking distance to groceries, restaurants, hair, etc would be amazing. All CH would need is a doctor to move a practice to the area and they’d be set.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 10:10 PM by monkeyseemonkeydo with a score of 0

apology ,, didn’t mean to bash ,, not out of place at all in my opinion, huge multi story hotel just up the road with a in an out off a pure goat trail. I do not live in that area but frequent very often as that is where the city has allowed big box retailers to set up with all the things I need. Not far from the University either, If the light where set up longer on busy times and being in time co ordinate with the light at the other intersection there would be no problem.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 10:16 PM by monkeyseemonkeydo with a score of 0

I will be at the council meeting to support a yes vote and no I am not a developer. Just someone who loves to see this city grow in a good way.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 10:17 PM by bc2413 with a score of 0

This would be a great time to complete the Ospika connector to Hwy. 16.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 1:01 AM by Eagleone with a score of 0

I second that suggestion. It’s been in the works for over forty years now. I think it’s time to complete the project and use the recent developments in this area as the catalyst for the badly needed infrastructure improvements.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 10:33 PM by Ataloss with a score of 0

A six story wooden building ? What could possibly go wrong ?

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 11:04 PM by Loki with a score of 0

They want to pop two (2), 6 story buildings on that property, but where would the tenants park?
There is a lovely, large parking lot for the mall patrons. I just don’t see space for dedicated tenant parking.

Too High, Too Big, Wrong Zone and no parking plan. Why bother hearing it until they have figured out the details, especially those details that will infringe on other residents and enterprises.

Posted on Monday, July 10, 2017 @ 11:22 PM by pgjohn with a score of 0

I live in area and have no issues with this. 6 stories is not that high, and there are no other residences nearby that might be annoyed with taller buildings.
Underground parking could be an option?
This is perfect for seniors, and we need more senior housing. How great for them to be able to be walking distance to everyday conveniences.

Administration has made weird decisions lately. This is a bad idea, yet they wanted the transit facility near parks.
I say build it. Better than a vacant lot.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 5:50 AM by gopg2015 with a score of 0

The City administration is against this proposal for several reasons.

One of the primary ones is its height, not that it is residential.

From the justification to deny come these words:
——————————————–
The area surrounding the subject property is predominately big box, low-profile commercial buildings with large tenancies. The proposed two 6 storey apartments are not consistent with the size and scale of the buildings in the surrounding area as they far exceed the height of the existing structures and reflect a scale of development supported in the Downtown.

Further, Policy 8.3.33 specifies the Neighbourhood Centre Corridor designation along Queensway (i.e. area along Queensway located between Connaught Hill and 20th Avenue) as the only area within this designation where development should be permitted up to 6 storeys in height as this area is an entry corridor into the Downtown.

OCP Policy 8.3.38 indicates that housing should be effectively buffered from traffic, noise and visual impacts, and the bulk of the buildings should be mitigated through appropriate use of setbacks, landscaping and/or terracing or building form.

There are significant challenges associated with effectively buffering development of this nature from traffic noise and visual impacts due to the subject property being located adjacent to a Collector Road, big box commercial and a shopping plaza.
—————————————-

Here are the main so-called high rise residential buildings in PG

ALL highrise apartment buildings in this City are on collector and arterial roads with virtually NO SETBACKS to speak of.

These buildings are all of 40+ year vintage. They are all “dated” looking from outside, have dated floor plans, virtually no amenities other than a “tired” pool in two and are basically low cost housing.

We only have two apartment buildings in town which I would call reasonable. Both are three storeys high. One is on Queensway and 20th and the other is on Vancouver and 6th. The latter is the winner of the best landscaped property.

The other “tall” apartment building in the city is the seniors building on Alward and 6th. It is a 2 building complex, of 5 storey buildings of concrete and brick construction sitting on a block which is under 2 acres. It is well landscaped with an outdoor garden amenity.

Then we have the 4 storey Elizabeth Fry Building on 6th avenue. A gem of a building (pardon the sarcasm), with no set back from the street and a dark hole of an outdoor patch surrounded by one existing building to the south which prevents reasonable sunlight access, and a possible future high rise to the immediate east which just as “delightful” (sarcasm again) a potential for amenities.

If you want to see reasonable “downtown” high rise structures with amenities, look at some of the 20+ storey buildings in the west end of Vancouver, south of Denman, built some 50+ years ago, close to the shopping streets as well as the waterfront parks to the south.

People are not lined up for downtown high rise residential buildings. If there were, we would have them.

This developer is proposing to build what exists in the Okanagan communities. They are proposing to have higher density residential buildings incorporated into or adjacent to major shopping centres. That is what has been happening in BC, Canada, and the USA. It is a natural progression.

We need a City Planner who knows how to speak with consistent thought and intent in a justification report and understands the lifestyles people are looking for.

It is not downtown!!!! This is not New York, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, etc. We are a city of around 75,000.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 6:18 AM by gopg2015 with a score of 0

These are the type of commercial/residential buildings being built in downtown Kelowna.

When can the City’s Economic Development department manage to get a developer to build such a building in the downtown of PG?

Let’s just make a location suggestion …. the vacant property to the east of City Hall.

In fact, how about putting an indoor public market in the ground and second floor with a two storey space. Give the building a bit of height …. say 6 to 8 storeys of apartment units above.

The summer Saturday street level public market could still operate there.

Make sure the upper part of the building is articulated as nicely as that in the link.

ht tp://www.soledowntown.ca

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 7:04 AM by Eagleone with a score of 0

The city of PGA kills any development that won’t go downtown and they have been doing this for at least thirty years now, which is why the PG population has declined 20% over this time. I think we have too much conflict of interest at city Hall in regards to pushing all developments into the downtown rather than allowing other areas of the city to develop independent of the downtown. It’s a problem right from the top IMO.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 6:25 AM by gopg2015 with a score of 0

Here are examples of Seymour Pacific projects. That is the company proposing to build the 6 storey buildings in CH.

If this is what they want to build there, I say no thanks ……. same olde, same olde. No wonder. They originated in small town BC. They need to invest in some better Architects. We have our own developers who can build stuff like that.

ht tp://www.seymourpacific.ca/projects/alberta/chappelle-springs

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 7:00 AM by Eagleone with a score of 0

You missed the Hayer Homes apartment building in Westwood area that is also 6-8 stories with a concrete underground parking. Very classy high end units in that building.

Also the units at 5TH&Tabor aren’t so bad either with underground parking and a good pool gym set up….

I would think this proposal would be more akin to the development that was under construction when it caught fire in Kelowna this past weekend. It would be a great addition to the neighborhood IMO.

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 8:58 AM by gopg2015 with a score of 0

I did not miss that because it is not 6 to 8 storeys high. It also has no underground parking.

The building is 5 storeys high, consisting of an at grade concrete structure which houses a parking garage with a 4 storey superstructure of wood framed construction. That is what was allowed to be built at the time.

The 5th and Tabor buildings are three storey townhouses or row houses.

I would not call Hayer homes “classy”. They are standard layouts for those who love to climb stairs. First level is the garage with storage area. Climb up one flight of stairs with your groceries to the “living” area, and one more flight to the “sleeping” area.

The “West Gable” units on Ferry, which are part of the building you think is 6 to 8 storeys high then back onto a party wall so that ALL the windows, other than the end units, look out onto the paved parking access to the units. No green space or other amenity for the “townhouse” or apartment dwellers.

Terrible buildings with no imagination!!

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 9:20 AM by gopg2015 with a score of 0

I see no mention of a monthly strata fee. Also no “good pool gym set up…”.

Where is that?

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 @ 2:54 PM by NMG with a score of 0

Ugh! How hard could it possibly be for these developers to spend some time looking at what is being built in other communities, and do the same in PG?

I think that’s probably a decent location for some NICE apartments, the key word being NICE. Position them so that the primary view is facing east or southeast, make a nice courtyard area, mix in some trails and natural landscaping, have some shared services for the tenants (e.g. games room, theatre room, gym, etc.) and all of you sudden you have more upscale units that people will seek out.

The way it looks now, I see it more as temporary accommodation for people who are in-between places or saving up to get into a house.

There just never seems to be the vision to do things in a progressive manner.